SCO Summit in Tianjin to Showcase China’s Efforts to Strengthen Global South Unity Amid Geopolitical Tensions

Next week, Chinese President Xi Jinping will welcome over 20 world leaders to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, showcasing China’s powerful optics of Global South solidarity amidst the era of Donald Trump’s geopolitical shifts. Leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia have been invited, with Russian President Vladimir Putin attending alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The summit, set for August 31 to September 1, marks Modi’s first visit to China in over seven years, following efforts by both nations to ease tensions after the deadly 2020 border clashes. Xi, Modi, and Putin last met during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024, even as Western leaders distanced themselves from Putin due to the war in Ukraine. Moscow has expressed hopes for trilateral talks between China, Russia, and India, according to Russian embassy officials in New Delhi.

The SCO summit provides Xi an opportunity to highlight a post-American-led international order, counteracting U.S. efforts to oppose China, Russia, Iran, and even India. “Just look at how much BRICS has rattled President Trump,” said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project. “These groups are designed to challenge U.S. dominance."

The SCO, founded in 2001, has expanded to include 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue and observer countries. Initially focused on security and counter-terrorism, its scope has broadened to include economic and military cooperation. This year’s summit will be the largest since the SCO's inception, underscoring its growing significance on the world stage.

However, analysts caution that while the SCO holds growing convening power, its practical outcomes remain unclear. Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Programme at Takshashila Institution, noted, “What the SCO represents and its practical implementation are rather fuzzy. It is a platform that helps in narrative projection but has limited effectiveness in addressing security issues.”

Frictions between key members, India and Pakistan, persist, with recent disputes surrounding security issues such as the deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir. Despite these tensions, analysts expect Xi and Modi to engage in constructive dialogue on the summit sidelines, with expectations for incremental border measures, troop withdrawals, and enhanced trade and visa cooperation.

While experts do not anticipate major policy announcements from the summit, they stress the importance of the optics involved, especially in strengthening solidarity among the Global South. “This summit is about optics, really powerful optics,” Olander emphasized.

After the summit, Modi is expected to depart China, while Putin will remain in Beijing for a World War II military parade, marking an unusually long stay outside of Russia.